Method of making a golf ball



June 28, 1938, A. w. CRANE- METHOD OF MAKING A sow BALL Filed Aug. 8, 19:55

INVENTOR. Aueusws W. CRANE ATTORNEYS Patented June 1938 LETHQD OF Augustus W. Crane,

impl cation i. L, 5 r;

YPAJENT I mes .1 G vA GOLF BALL Augustus W. Crane, '11 bard Kleinstuck executor deceased 8, 1%)35, Serial No. 35,356

Mich; 0. Hubot the estate of said The main objects of this invention are:

degree of internal pressure and a highly elastic core.

Second, to provide a method oi producing golf ball cores containing a gas developed within the core.

. Third, to provide a method of producing highly tensioned golf balls.

Fourth, to provide an improved golf ball which is well balanced and capable of long and accurate flight.

Fifth, to provide a method of manufacturing golf balls having the above stated qualities.

Objects pertaining to details and economies of my invention will definitely appear from the description to follow. The invention is defined in the claims.

A golf ball embodying the features of my in-' Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a golf ball embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a central section on line 2-2 of Fig. l of a finished golf ball.

Fig. 3 is a section through the hollow core.

Fig. 4 is a section through a filled core prio to the development of the gas therein.

Fig. 5 is a section through a wound core prior to the development of the gas therein.

Fig. 6 is an elevation of the core, the expansion thereof being indicated by the concentric dotted lines.

Referringto the drawing, the numeral 5 indicates a golf ball generally, which comprises a core 2, a body 3 and a shell t. The core is a hollow elastic shell containing an expansion medium indicated at 5. The body 3 is formed by winding upon the core ribbon or elastic strands under stretching tension. This method of winding may be that commonly employed in the manufacture of golf balls.

I provide a high elastic tension within the core by introducing therein, before winding, a materialsuitable for the growth of gas-forming microorganisms, the material having been inoculated, previous to being introduced into the core, with the selected organisms. The gas-forming microorganisms include molds, yeasts and bacteria. The material or culture medium suitable for the growth of any one of these organisms may be of various compositions containing carbo-hydrates,

in a jelly paste or by means of a matrix such as sponge rubber, so that the center of gravity of the ball will remain unchanged. The degree of tension may be regulated by maintaining the control of temperature for a predetermined time and then sterilizing as by pasteurization, or by using a measured quantity of fermentable material. The culture may be allowed to die from products of its own metabolism in abalance culture medium.

By this method a very substantial pressure within the core may be produced, depending upon the type of organism, the culture medium, and the length of time permitted for development thereof. r

Inasmuch as the cores, filled with inoculated material, may be wound completely before gas formation is permitted, it is possible to produce golf balls by my method having very high pressures within the cores, because the windings about the cores provide ample resistance to expansion and rupture, this allowing a degree of gas compression not otherwise possible. Since the degree of gas compression within the core of a golf ball becomes an important factor in the elastic tension of the ball as a whole, this factor determines the distance over which a golf ball can be driveni The growth of certain micro-organisms and thus the production of gas within the cores is controllable by temperature but golf balls may be manufactured by this method under favorable factory conditions; for example, the winding operations can be performed at more comfortable temperatures than are practical with certain methods of manufacturing golf balls now practiced. Further, the pressure within the ball can be very accurately controlled and the center of gravity is maintained throughout the life of the ball, depending on the nature of the core filling medium.

It will be understood that no efiort has been made to show the elements of the ball lnproportion, the drawing being by way of illustration only.

I have not attempted to point out all the modifications which might prove practical as it is believed that this disclosure will enable those skilled in the art to practice'my invention as may 7" desired.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. The method of forming golf balls consisting of introducing into a spherical flemble shell a material suitable for the growth of gas-forming micro-organisms inoculated with'the organisms, and winding the core with elastic strands under tension prior to such growth of the gas-forming micro-organisms so that the development thereof will result in a core under high elastic tension.

2. The method of making golf balls consisting of introducing into a hollow elastic spherical core a measured quantity of fermentable material, and winding with elastic strands under tension prior to the expansion of the core by the fermentation of the material therein so that the expansion of the material within the core results in producing internal tension.

3. The method of forming golf balls consisting of introducing into a hollow expandible core a micro-rganism inoculated culture medium, winding, maintaining the wound ball for a predetermined time at a temperature suitable for the growth of the micro-organisms within the wound core to expand the core within the winding and develop an internal pressure, and then sterilizing by pasteurization to stop the growth.

4. The method of forming golf balls consisting of introducing into a hollow expandible core a micro-organism inoculated winding, and permitting the growth of the microorganisms within the wound core to expand the core within the winding and develop an internal culture medium.

araaare micro-organism within the core to produce expending pressure therein.

7. The method of forming golf balls consisting of introducing into a spherical flexible core shell a material suitable for the growth of a gas-forming micro-organism inoculated with the organism, and winding the core with elastic strands under tension prior to such growth of the gasstrands under tension prior to the expansion of the core by the material therein so that the expansion of the material within the core results in producing a high tension ball. I

9. The method of making golf balls consisting of the step of introducing into a hollow elastic spherical core a measured quantity of inoculated micro-organism culture material, and permitting the development of the micro-organisms within the core.

10. In a method of forming golf balls, the steps of introducing into a hollow expandible core a. micro-organism inoculated with a culture medium and a sponge-rubber matrix-therefor, wind ing the core, permitting the micro-organism to develop, and terminating the development ,by sterilization when the pressure of the gas produced by the development reaches a predetermined value.

11. In a method of forming golf balls, the steps I 

